Toddler among those needing blood donations

Kyli Taylor plays during a fundraiser held for her and her family Saturday, June 23, at the LifeSouth Community Blood Center in Ocala. (Andy Fillmore/ correspondent)

By Andy FillmoreCorrespondent

Published: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 5:03 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 5:03 p.m.

Four-year-old Kyli Taylor, diagnosed May 1 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, will start chemotherapy this year rather than preschool. The effervescent girl has endured spinal taps, seven surgeries for bone marrow samples and three blood transfusions.

Facts

Ways to help

A benefit ride for Kyli’s Kause begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Harley-Davidson of Ocala, 5331 N. US 441, Ocala, and ends at Apple’s Bar & Grille in the Ramada Inn at Interstate 75 and US 27. $15 per person. For details, visit Kyli’s Kause on Facebook.

Local blood banks are hoping residents won’t let Tropical Storm Debby keep them from making urgently needed donations for Kyli and others. A fundraising event for Kyli was held Saturday at the LifeSouth Community Blood Center on Silver Springs Boulevard.

It’s amazing. Friends, family and even complete strangers have come forward to help, said Kyli’s father, Rob Taylor, 27, as he took a break from cooking at the event, where he was joined by his wife, Linda, 28.

They said they discovered two small sores on their daughter while she had a fever. They took Kyli for treatment locally and she then was rushed to Shands at the University of Florida via ambulance, Linda Taylor said.

LifeSouth is the sole provider of blood products for the Shands Trauma Center, Shands Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospital Medical Center in Gainesville, according to a press release from regional manager Colleen Coleman, which stated that Marion County residents often seek or need services at those locations.

“We are in desperate need of donors; many people are away for summer,” noted Coleman in the release.

A press release from Florida’s Blood Centers stated that the continuous rain and wind from Tropical Storm Debby was critically impacting their blood supply and that all types are needed, especially O negative, which is the universal blood type and is used to treat trauma patients and premature babies. The Ocala center provides blood for facilities in Marion County.

Meanwhile, the community continues to step up to help Kyli’s family, which must handle medical expenses and make frequent trips to Shands.

“A family friend recently made big pans of food like lasagna and divided it into little meals we can eat. The first 31 days after diagnosis, we ate only microwave meals at the hospital. We usually try to eat well, including vegetables. Kyli likes broccoli,” Rob Taylor said.

“The chemotherapy will last two to three years, but there’s a 95 percent cure rate,” he added. “She’s looking good.”

“We feel like we are ahead of the cancer,” Linda Taylor said.

Ashley Browning, a longtime friend of Linda Taylor, who has helped organize fundraisers for Kyli, said she is pleased with “how the community has come forward.” Brandi Sherman, Linda’s sister, said the outpouring has “renewed her faith in people. I was beginning to think it was everyone out for themselves. Then you see people coming together like this to help.”

Sherman’s son Chase, 9, may be his little cousin’s No. 1 supporter.

“I’d throw myself in front of a truck for Kyli,” Chase said. “I play Barbie with her to help.”

Sherman gave two words to her son’s remark about protecting his cousin to the extreme: “He would.”

And Chase isn’t the only one willing to fight for Kyli.

“We received an insignia patch from U.S. Army Bravo Company 296 BSB at Kandahar Airbase in Afghanistan and a note saying, ‘We’re fighting for your freedom here. Hope you fight to get better,’” Rob Taylor said.

<p>Four-year-old Kyli Taylor, diagnosed May 1 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, will start chemotherapy this year rather than preschool. The effervescent girl has endured spinal taps, seven surgeries for bone marrow samples and three blood transfusions.</p><p>Local blood banks are hoping residents won't let Tropical Storm Debby keep them from making urgently needed donations for Kyli and others. A fundraising event for Kyli was held Saturday at the LifeSouth Community Blood Center on Silver Springs Boulevard.</p><p>It's amazing. Friends, family and even complete strangers have come forward to help, said Kyli's father, Rob Taylor, 27, as he took a break from cooking at the event, where he was joined by his wife, Linda, 28. </p><p>They said they discovered two small sores on their daughter while she had a fever. They took Kyli for treatment locally and she then was rushed to Shands at the University of Florida via ambulance, Linda Taylor said.</p><p>LifeSouth is the sole provider of blood products for the Shands Trauma Center, Shands Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospital Medical Center in Gainesville, according to a press release from regional manager Colleen Coleman, which stated that Marion County residents often seek or need services at those locations.</p><p>“We are in desperate need of donors; many people are away for summer,” noted Coleman in the release.</p><p>A press release from Florida's Blood Centers stated that the continuous rain and wind from Tropical Storm Debby was critically impacting their blood supply and that all types are needed, especially O negative, which is the universal blood type and is used to treat trauma patients and premature babies. The Ocala center provides blood for facilities in Marion County.</p><p>Meanwhile, the community continues to step up to help Kyli's family, which must handle medical expenses and make frequent trips to Shands.</p><p>“A family friend recently made big pans of food like lasagna and divided it into little meals we can eat. The first 31 days after diagnosis, we ate only microwave meals at the hospital. We usually try to eat well, including vegetables. Kyli likes broccoli,” Rob Taylor said.</p><p>“The chemotherapy will last two to three years, but there's a 95 percent cure rate,” he added. “She's looking good.”</p><p>“We feel like we are ahead of the cancer,” Linda Taylor said. </p><p>Ashley Browning, a longtime friend of Linda Taylor, who has helped organize fundraisers for Kyli, said she is pleased with “how the community has come forward.” Brandi Sherman, Linda's sister, said the outpouring has “renewed her faith in people. I was beginning to think it was everyone out for themselves. Then you see people coming together like this to help.”</p><p>Sherman's son Chase, 9, may be his little cousin's No. 1 supporter.</p><p>“I'd throw myself in front of a truck for Kyli,” Chase said. “I play Barbie with her to help.”</p><p>Sherman gave two words to her son's remark about protecting his cousin to the extreme: “He would.”</p><p>And Chase isn't the only one willing to fight for Kyli.</p><p>“We received an insignia patch from U.S. Army Bravo Company 296 BSB at Kandahar Airbase in Afghanistan and a note saying, 'We're fighting for your freedom here. Hope you fight to get better,'” Rob Taylor said.</p>